Interwire Call for Papers
The WAI is seeking papers for Interwire 2023. Accepted papers will be presented at the event, to be held May 9-11 at the Georgia World Congress Center.
Papers are sought that address advances in the industry that fall under: Industry 4.0 trends, wire and cable- making strategies, workforce insights and technical progress in all sectors. Abstracts are due Nov. 18, 2022, notice of acceptance is Dec. 2, 2022, and manuscripts are due March 3, 2023.
Abstracts can be submitted at https://goo.gl/svxgvq. Accepted authors receive a one-year WAI membership and complimentary conference registration.
Had any personnel changes the last few years? It’s a rare company that hasn’t either lost or added staff during the Covid period, and it’s not a bad idea to make sure that the industry knows who your key people are.
This is an ideal time to take a minute to look at the 2022 edition of the Wire Journal International Reference Guide and see whether you need to make some updates. Companies can now either enter or update their company profiles for the 2023 edition of the Wire Journal International Reference Guide and WAI’s online Industry Search.
New and updated entries will be accepted until Nov. 30, 2022, for the printed publication. An instructional video on submitting a free listing is at wirenet.org: (www.wirenet.org/industry-search-instructional-video).
The WJI Reference Guide lists contact information for international manufacturers and suppliers to the wire and cable industry. Company listings include more than 1,100 product types.
With Interwire 2023 six months away, the exhibit space at the Georgia World Congress Center has been expanded by 2,000 sq ft to 82,000 sq ft.
A modest floor plan extension is likely in early November, explained WAI Sales Director Shannon Timme. At this time, more than 200 exhibiting companies are now represented on the show floor. It has been an extremely busy period for the industry as well as for the Association as it too tries to service customers, she said.
“The industry has seen a significant amount of role changes and retirements within the last two years,” Timme said. These company personnel changes have largely attributed to the delay in messaging and communications with some companies who have yet to renew for exhibit space.
The last staging of Interwire at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta saw 3,514 wire and cable industry professionals representing 39 states and 47 countries in attendance. More than 400 manufacturing facilities had at least one representative at the event, and WAI’s day-long Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing course drew a record 161 attendees. More details will be presented in future issues, including at the official event website, www.interwire23.com.
The Southeast Chapter enjoyed a picture-perfect day on Sept. 25 at the Rock Barn Country Club in Conover, North Carolina, but it had a weighty start.
Sikora’s John Dognazzi, who emceed the event, started with a moment of silence in memory of Chapter President Christopher Shannon McGill, a plant manager at Southwire’s factory in Huntersville, North Carolina, who died June 2 at age 52 from brain cancer. There was a moment of silence before Dognazi, who is serving as interim chapter president for the remainder of this year, started the tournament.
The field of 100 players found the course in very good shape, and golfers enjoyed the pace. The winning CommScope team of Chris Giddings, Brian Deese, Cody Lail and Paul McConnell shot an impressive 56 (15 under par) to walk away with top honors. The overall feel was so good that the Board plans to lock in a return to the Rock Barn course next year. The other big winner was the chapter’s Scholarship Program, which earlier this year issued four $1,800 scholarships.
Premium sponsors for the golf tourney were Carris Reels, Inc.; Chroma Color Corporation; Commission Brokers, Inc.; Henderson Sales & Service Inc.; The MGS Group; Process Control; Sikora; Sonoco Reels; Teknikor; and Wire & Plastic Machinery. Hole sponsors were: Accel International; Carris Reels Inc.; Chase Corp.; Chroma Color Corporation; Gateway Recovery Inc.; Gem Gravure Co., Inc.; GEON; M. Holland; Magnum Mfg. LLC; Process Control; Sonoco Plastics; Sonoco Reels; Teknikor; and Wire & Plastic Machinery.
The 18th annual Ohio Valley Chapter Educational and Sporting event was one for trying something different and it seems to have worked. With the program increasing in popularity, the OVC board decided to flip the sporting event with the educational portion for a smoother program. On top of that, we added an unsanctioned event for those who prefer firing ranges to fairways.
In a first-ever adjustment, while golfers were busy at the Kennsington Golf Club, a troupe led by former enlisted Marine Brennan Mai of Hobart Brothers rode a battlewagon over to On Target Outfitters (OTO) for some target practice. The sharpshooters matched skills with OTO pro and retired police officer Jeff Solic. Using a variety of firearms, they became the first participants of what we hope will someday become a sanctioned OVC event.
While sharpshooters were piercing targets, the players back at the golf course were busy sinking eagles. The winning team stroked in three eagles, coupled with 10 birdies for an OVC course record score of 16 under par. The inadvertently stacked team of Tom Kern of Condat, Paul Douwes of Advaris and Brett Hambleton of Select Arc, dominated what is typically a very difficult course. Perhaps the most impressive eagle of the day was scored by Chad Betris of Glen Carbide who sunk a 50 yarder on the fly. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good as his eagle contributed to his team coming in second place.
That afternoon, the technical presentations began with Jeff Danaher of Abbott Furnaces, who provided an education about the keys of furnace optimization: time, temperature and atmosphere. Jeff was followed by Jim Miller of Scientific Forming Technology, whose presentation on the Deform system of the drawing process simulation crossed several industries. His presentation connected fastener deformation in cold heading, stress points in the tooling, and material flow of laminated and superconductor materials. The final speaker was Paul Douwes of Advaris, who served as a last-minute substitute when a scheduled speaker was unable to make the trip. Paul introduced smart manufacturing concepts that connected administration, manufacturing and logistics for tighter process control and scheduling for on-time deliveries. The triose gentlemen made the event a huge success!
If you are new to the wire industry, OVC events are for you! As two-year member Brennan Mai attested, he was drawn to OVC 2022 by “the blend of fun events with the ability to network with people from other industries without the commercial feeling of a formal plant visit.” Added colleague, Jonathan Will, operations manager, Hobart Brothers, “I attended specifically to learn more about the wire drawing industry and network with other people in the wire industry.” OVC events offer a unique blend of education, networking and fun.
The chapter would also like to thank the event sponsors, which included Bechem Lubes, Blachford Corporation, CONDAT Corp., Die Quip, GEON, George A. Mitchell Company, Premier Wire Die, Rainbow Rubber & Plastics, SIKORA and Wire Tech.
Mark your calendar for OVC 2023 on August 23, 2023!
Report by Dave Rascati, Premier Wire Die
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